Surveyor 5: Testing the Moon Before Astronauts
Before astronauts could walk on the Moon, scientists needed to learn what they would find underfoot. Was the surface firm enough to support a spacecraft? What was the lunar soil made of? To investigate, NASA sent robotic spacecraft called Surveyors to the Moon.
On September 11, 1967, Surveyor 5 landed in a dark lunar region called the Sea of Tranquility. Despite its name, this “sea” has no liquid water. It is a broad plain formed by ancient flows of melted rock. Surveyor 5 was a robotic mission, so no astronauts were aboard. It landed nearly two years before Apollo 11 carried the first people to the lunar surface.
A difficult landing
Surveyor 5’s journey did not go entirely as planned. On its way to the Moon, the spacecraft developed a leak in a system that helped its engines work. Engineers on Earth had to find a way to land with less of a gas called helium than they had expected to use. They changed the landing plan so the spacecraft could save helium for the final descent.
- lunar:
- Related to the Moon.
- descent:
- A movement downward.
- crater:
- A bowl-shaped hollow in a surface.
- evidence:
- Information that helps show whether an idea is true.
- chemical:
- Related to the substances that make up materials.
- measurements:
- Amounts or other information found by measuring.
- exhaust:
- Gases and other material released by an engine.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
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Structure
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Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did NASA send robotic Surveyors to the Moon before astronauts landed there?
- 2How did engineers respond to the helium leak during Surveyor 5’s journey?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Surveyor 5: Testing the Moon Before Astronauts” is a explanatory article reading passage about Lunar exploration, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (514 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.